At the same time, in a corner of the Soul Hunting Forest.
On a woodland path, Dugu Bo trudged slowly forward, his body hunched.
Black vapor coiled around him. His face was withered and deathly pale, his lips utterly bloodless. His once piercing eyes were now filled with exhaustion and the ravages of time. His body swayed precariously, as though a single gust would send him crashing to the ground.
Every low-level soul beast roaming the forest that sensed his aura fled in frantic desperation, not daring to linger for even a moment.
The vast amounts of poison carried within that black vapor were far beyond anything they could withstand.
Dugu Bo clutched a rough wooden stick in a death grip, driving it deep into the soil to barely hold up his failing body. It was the only support he had left.
Every step brought a violent shudder through his body. Heavy, ragged breaths sounded continuously, his breathing weak and erratic.
Poison backlash and depleted soul power had already hollowed out his body completely. His vitality drained away rapidly, the flame of his life flickering on the verge of extinction.
He lifted his eyes slightly toward Heaven Dou City, the last trace of stubborn resolve lingering in their depths. His faint, hoarse murmur sounded in the solitude. "Another ninety li... before I reach Yan Yan..."
"I don't have much time left... I can't stop... I absolutely cannot stop..."
He gritted his teeth and forced his nearly shattered body onward, struggling forward one step at a time.
Even if his life was almost spent, even if the road ahead held no hope, he would expend his very last breath to reach his granddaughter's side.
The bustling Heaven Dou Imperial City had already become a hell on earth.
With the overwhelming